Dogs kenneled or crated for long periods of time.. - Page 1

I was wondering if anyone else besides myself had noted a direct correlation to dogs that seem to have an extremely loose and sloppy hind end to being crated or kenneled in too small of an area for extended periods of time? I am wondering if this is muscle deterioration from non-use, and it is my genuine opinion that it is. Any opinions or thoughts? I have noted this now twice, and no, not in my own dogs, for those of you with an "inquiring mind". ;) Would appreciate any comments, either here or by private email. vomfelsenhof@aol.com Thanks!

Great question. I would also like to hear opinions. I have a female that was kept like this and she literally had no muscle anywhere. Could hardly hold her head up. If she didn't have that great GSD coat, she would have looked too gross to have been put on a plane. I would also like to know what reason dogs would be kept like this? Besides travel and lack of space which are obvious. I have crates lines up in my garage for use but my dogs are not in them unless it is a training issue or we need them out of their kennels for cleaning/sanitation.

Dogs that are crated for long periods of time suffer muscle loss. It's akin to people who are invalids and aren't able to get up on a regular basis. The muscles suffer atrophy - they need regular movement in range of motion to maintain their proper density and strenght. If they're not allowed to do that, then they start to atrophy. 4 - many times people do that just to make their lives easier or to allow them to cram in more dogs. Someone that I know has a 4 bedroom house and has each of them filled with crates(they don't breed GSDs). The only time those animals get out is basically to go to the bathroom. The person has never seen a problem with it,in spite of a number of folks talking to them...go figure...

(Shaking my head)...what is the point of having dogs if you don't spend time with them? I have known people like this as well. Even with horses or cats, they collect them and but the animals suffer horrible boring lives. Food and vets trips are just not enough. That is just the saddest thing.

Maybe they are just a showpiece? Reason I don't want to deal with showline high dollar dogs. I don't want to fear breaking my precious pooch. Just like a person, a dog deserves free time, trips, treats and to play at the river,lake, camp. I refuse to bubble wrap my dogs and lock them up. I feel bad enough, we had pups this summer and didn't take the adults on a trip even once. Now I have a broken legged pooch holding things up. We just do into town quicky trips and back home in the same day. Nothing special but at least they see the world.

A kennel/crate dog is a dead dog... They're not bred what they're suppose to do. Im all for adding this to an additional case of animal cruelty.. People who lock up their dogs in such manner should also be locked up, to see how it feels to view bars each day and night. such pitiful.

We have a male GSD that we took from a friend that could not keep him because of her daughters allergies. This dog (if U looked at him today) looks like he has been crated all his life (He's 10 months old) He has no muscle tone looks as if he was curled into a ball and shuved in a small crate.He walks as if he had had no room to run at any time or even allowed to stretch. The truth about this dog is that he has a gap between 2 disc in his spine, that problem makes him curb up his back a bit and does not allow him to stretch very well , so therefore he looks weak and uncoordinated.And he is young but has a medical problem. Sometimes it's a medical issue that a lot of people jump to conclusion that it might be abuse or not being taking care of. Doing some medical test might answer your questions or not but consider it.We are trying to find a good home for him .He has never been crated and lived on 2 acres.

There are lots of dogs who do spend the night in a crate and do just fine. I personally only use very large wire crates if I crate anyone for even the night. Sadly, many people who do breed and do not have appropriate facilities do cram dogs into a plastic crate for much more than a night sleep. In my state, the law specifies the amount of space per dog and it is a very small space, but enough to stand and turn. I made sure I have the largest kennel spaces in the state when I built my kennel and I think this keeps the dogs much healthier for a variety of reasons. As Flygirl correctly points out, dogs who do not get enough exercise can, in fact, suffer muscle tone issues. Loose ligaments are probably related only to genetics, but muscle tone is related to diet, genetics and exercise. I have seen plenty of GSDs who were never crated for one minute who are way too loose and have no muscle tone. Virtually every dog who is boarded here, GSD as well as others, are grossly obese and most have no muscle tone. It is about a quality of life that most pet owners do not understand how to provide. And plenty of breeders fit that bill as well. I can not tell you how often people tell me how they walk their dog around the block once a day. That is simply NOT enough exercise for any dog, unless the dog is ill or recovering from injury. Again, all too many people breed dogs only for the money and sell to the first person who can pay them for a dog, regardless of whether it is an appropriate choice for the person and their lifestyle, experience, etc. But people like some of us are fighting a loosing battle because people who want to buy, for example, from me, and to whom I would refuse to adopt or sell to (or the rare pet store for that matter who would take the high road and not sell pups from large scale breeding operations), only see the person we refuse go off somewhere else and buy a dog. But at least my conscience is clear.

Some people *claim* that dogs that are crated alot work better. I don't agree, just repeating some "logic" I have heard.

My dogs would drive me nuts if all I gave them was a walk around the block. Due to my work at home the dogs must be kenneled to keep the yard clear of doggie bombs, so kids can play. My smallest kennels are 6x12 and one is as big as 5x28 that houses 2 altered dogs together. I'm not a fan of keeping dogs in kennels but I need to for my grass, liability and business purposes. Still in these large kennels, my dogs will bark and dig, if not given the proper excersize they require. Also I have noticed they don't obey as well when not worked, or excersized. To keep my neighbors happy, I run them at least once a day and take them out 3 more times for short walks, or to play ball at the park. I'm not a huge fan of big hairy dogs in the house but 2 have weasled their way in by being hurt and old. If a person can't give the dog what they need to be healthy and happy, they shouldn't own one. Would you have a child and lock it in their room until old enough to move out on their own? Ok, I know some of us may actually think twice on that one. LOL I don't see a problem crating a dog at night. I raise my puppies this way in the house, until old enough to move outside. Occasionally I have to bring my adults in to sleep when there is too much going on. I have 2 neighbors with many cats and kittens. Kittens like to look at the dogs through the chain link, right out of doggies reach. What fun! I have close neighbors and a space issue and still have happy healthy dogs. I don't go too far out of my way to make time for them. I enjoy spending time outside and walking/hiking and of course my dogs are with me for most of it. One thing about dogs...they don't complain, maybe they should!